All Because of You: A Hollywood Fairytale
by KyrielF
Summary: All fairytales end happily ever after... don't they? What if one particular fairytale was about two people trying to make it in the hardest business there is? Do happy endings even exist in Hollywood?


_**Disclaimer:** Don't own Newsies, don't own any other copyrighted products, lyrics, etc. All I own is Kyriel and the story and plot themselves. Ershey belongs to Ershey, of course._

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**All Because of You: A Hollywood Fairytale **

**Chapter One: Once Upon a Time **

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_"Open up your eyes now_

_Tell me what you see._

_It is no surprise now_

_What you see is me." – _The Beatles

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Once upon a time, in a land not as far away as you have been led to believe, there lay a bustling suburb filled with the blended harmonies of car horns, the changing of traffic lights, and the chattering of businessmen and women in finely pressed suits with cell phones permanently glued to their ears. At first glance, who would think that this large, crowded, and noisy place would, in the vast scheme of things, be the one place where everyone would want to live, want to work, and just basically want to be a part of? After all, it was the only place where the sun rose over endless emerald hills, and set over the one pearly white image that, in a nutshell, explained every man and woman's dream.

Hollywood.

Nowhere else could you find such a melting pot of brightly colored outfits ranging from beach wear to business suits but always unified by one Dasani water bottle. And nowhere else can you pass by twenty different Starbucks cafés without going in circles. But our story is not just about this magical place. There once was a girl, for there is always a girl, and where there is always a girl, there is always a great dream. This particular girl's dream was not unlike most other Hollywood citizens, but the interesting thing about this girl was not the eventual launch of her very successful career in entertainment, but the events leading up to it, and the ones surrounding it. For I have forgotten to mention, that when there is always a girl, there is always a boy.

But he will return to our story later. For now, let's focus on the girl…

Thousands of miles above the Pacific Ocean, a Continental 747 was beginning its descent into LAX, the Los Angeles air port. Flight attendants scurried about the cabins, poking and prodding poor unsuspecting passengers to "return their seats and tray tables into their upright and locked positions as the plane prepares for descent." One passenger in the upper business-class level of the plane, however, was not subject to the prodding, for she had not once switched her seat or tray table into their downright and unlocked positions for the entirety of the flight. This young girl, who just happens to be the heroine of our story, spent the majority of the ride sitting sideways in her large chair, leaning against the window, headphones covering her ears and her nose stuck in a romance novel.

Now, however, the romance novel had been dog-eared, closed, and tucked away securely into her light pink messenger bag. Her eyes fluttered closed, hiding the sparkle of big brown almond eyes, as she began to feel the aircraft inch its way toward the ground. Dark brown strands of straight, glossy hair bounced their way out of a messy ponytail as the 747 landed on the runway with a large _thud_.

"Good morning, ladies and gentlemen," came the captain's voice from an overhead speaker. "Welcome to Los Angeles. The local time is 11:22am on Monday, March 28."

"Lovely," the girl deadpanned, eyelids fluttering open as she whipped off her headphones and tucked them neatly away into her messenger bag. In a perfect world, she often thought, people would not have to take plane rides and suffer countless hours seated next to a stranger who snored the whole flight. Luckily, the geniuses at Apple took these poor suffering passengers into mind while creating iPods with volume settings louder than an exploding rocket jet.

Also, in a perfect world, people would not have to stand in front of rusted carousels, watching the same black piece of luggage revolve around and around without anyone claiming it, then realize that it was your own and walk away with it feeling stupid about yourself. Which is exactly what our girl did, mentally kicking herself as she made her way over to the customs booth.

"Good morning," she said, smiling at the rather attractive teller as she handed him her papers and passport. He returned the salutation with a smile, before glancing over the customs form. "Kyriel? Kyriel Federer?" he asked, eyes widening slightly.

The girl tilted her head, slightly confused. "Er, yes… That's me."

"Wow," the customs teller replied, grinning. "I saw you last summer on Broadway. You were amazing. And, wow, you're so young, and your voice…"

Kyriel felt a sheepish smile spread across her face as the teller showered her with compliments. She had not actually expected anyone to recognize her all the way in California. After all, it was not like she had been in the original cast of _The Phantom of the Opera_. But our young lead role was humble like that – never taking the little fame she had seriously, and trying her best to keep as down to earth as she possible could. Then again, it was not every day that a young girl, fresh out of college, would land the role of her dreams after just one audition, then go on to act in a show for half a year.

But then why was she here, making her way out of the Los Angeles airport, thousands of miles from New York where all her dreams had come true? Well, as it turns out, as amazing an experience it was for her, not to mention a real career boost, to play Christine Daaé in the Broadway version of _The Phantom of the Opera_, Kyriel Federer found that committing to a show for a year, performing twice a day for six days a week was not something that came easy for her. Being the impulsive person she is, she quit the show after five months and hopped a plane to Los Angeles, center of the universe, to pursue what ended up being her _real_ dream: Acting in, not musicals, but Hollywood movies.

This time, it would be different, and she was not so sure whether or not this difference was good or bad, though she hoped with all her might that it would prove to be good, because then she could push old feelings aside and not be bothered by her past. This new chapter in her life _would_ be different, because this new chapter did not include _him_.

Yes, this is where the boy steps into the picture, because as I have already mentioned, when there is always a girl, there is always a boy. The boy of her dreams, to be exact. The boy that turned out to be all that she ever could ask for in a soul mate, for he loved her unconditionally, and she loved him.

Growing up in Burbank, California, they had known each other since they were seven, and had been best friends since he rode his brand new mountain bike into her family's mail box, and she had to hold his hand at the hospital while nurses gave him nine stitches in his chin. She was the one who gave him the nickname "Skittery" that day upon discovering how scared and jumpy he was around needles and doctors. His real name, Jude Landon, was hardly ever used again after that day, and she almost forgot how much she liked it. Skittery hated it, of course, saying that it was a "teen soap opera name" and refusing to respond when someone called him by it.

By the time the two were fourteen, they had discovered that they both had a passion for the arts, mainly in theater and acting. They auditioned for all the school plays, participating even if they only earned ensemble parts.

When they were fifteen, Kyriel auditioned for her dream role, Christine Daaé, in their school's production of _The Phantom of the Opera_, her favorite musical. When she was passed over for the part, due to her drama teacher's basis of favoritism instead of real talent, it was Skittery who she ran to in search of comfort. It was the only role she'd ever cried about, and after she had stopped, they made a pact to always support each other in following their dreams, and to never, ever give up on each other.

But pacts are soon forgotten. In their junior year of high school, Skittery caught Kyriel off guard by stealing a kiss on the rooftop of a friend's house during a birthday party. Romantics would say that only once every full moon while the stars are shining their brightest will two friends discover hidden feelings for each other that had grown through years and years of spending so much time together. Luckily for Kyriel and Skittery, the night sky had been glittering as clouds pulled away revealing a glowing, perfect moon shining its spotlight onto that rooftop.

Needless to say, they were even more inseparable than they had ever been before. Any free time they had was spent together, and you would never hear the name "Kyriel" unless it was followed by "and Skittery" and vice versa. The promise they had made to each other had been pushed further into the backs of their minds toward the end of senior year, when Kyriel discovered she had been accepted into New York University, and that Skittery was to stay and attend the University of Los Angeles.

The last few weeks of their senior year had been the roughest they had ever gone through, relationship-wise. Each passing moment was filled with arguments and tension, both thinking that if they could end the relationship through resentment, they would not have to be faced with the agony and torment of having to leave each other, and perhaps never come in contact again. For teenage love, even if it is true love, never has the happy ending boys and girls dream about when they are still children.

The day before Kyriel left for New York, she and Skittery had their worst argument yet, which inevitably led to both finally giving up on each other, breaking the promise they had tried to keep for so long. Both yelled things they did not mean, things that were only said to hurt the other as much as possibly, because maybe that would ease the pain of having to let go of something – someone – so good and true. Of course both realized too late that that sort of philosophy would never ease any sort of pain, as Skittery locked himself in his room, and Kyriel cried herself to sleep.

The next day, Kyriel boarded her plane woefully, trying with all her might not to give in to that second backward glance. It would not be until long, _long_ afterwards, would she realize that if she had given into that temptation, she would have seen Skittery at the gate, biting back tears as he watched her leave him behind.

No, they did not live happily ever after, but I assure you that they will. In time.

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**A/N:** A break from the slash... 'Tis a loverly start, is it not? Reviews are welcome, as per usual, but mention The Road to Dawn and I'll have to lynch you. Boo! 


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